NUT Leaders Blame FG for Lingering Strike

LEADERS of the striking members of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), have decried the rigid attitude of government in issuing enabling circular for the implementation of Teachers' Salary Structure (TSS) for the lingering industrial action that shut down public primary and secondary schools for a fourth week running.

This is coming even as NUT and All Nigerian Conference of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), have directed members nationwide to begin fasting and prayers tomorrow to seek God's intervention in the struggle for the implementation of TSS.

A communique issued by leaders of NUT and ANCOPSS at the end of their meeting in Abuja, called on President Musa Yar'Adua to urgently address the on-going nation-wide teachers strike by directing the implementation of the approved teachers' peculiar allowances through the release of an enabling circular.

According to the communique: " NEC-ln-Session observed with extreme sadness and total disappointment that the posture of the Federal Government is completely antithetical to the quick resolution of the crisis as it has maintained a rigid stand of reneging on an otherwise concluded arrangement.

NEC-ln-Session is pained to note that at every point of the dialogue with government officials the resolutions reached were jettisoned and rejected by the Federal Government leaving the Union with no choice than to conclude that the Federal Government does not have the goodwill to sincerely address this problem with a view to resolving the impasse.

NEC-ln-Session reiterated its position on the implementation of the Teachers' Salary Structure (TSS) by calling on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to intervene with due patriotism and fatherly disposition by directing the issuance of a circular for the payment of the approved Teachers' Peculiar Allowances to Federal Government teachers so as to signal the preparedness of the Federal Government to act in good faith, and to enable the States to follow suit."

Leaders of NUT and ANCOPSS argued that the issue of the implementation of TSS appears to has gone beyond human understanding and therefore directed teachers across the country to begin a marathon fasting and prayers for God's intervention from Wednesday (Tomorrow).

According to them: "The battle for TSS has gone beyond human understanding. Therefore, NEC-ln-Session | has resolved that every teacher in Nigeria should embark on serious fasting and prayers on Wednesday 23rd July, 2008 so as to invite the Almighty God to prevail and intervene in this matter.

All teachers are enjoined to participate in this crucial spiritual exercise. Teachers are urged to make this prayer a regular programme for nemesis to catch up with all enemies of teachers and all opposition to T.S.S."

Related terms: conference, exercise, federal, government, industrial, nigeria, note, president, strike, teachers, unions